Permanent Principal Secretary Mario Cutajar said that in the past, a new public service collective agreement was signed about two years after the previous one expired, while today`s contract was signed just four months after the previous one expired. He said that a lot is expected of civil servants – just call key performance indicators, more efficiency and less bureaucracy – and this collective agreement pays tribute to the efforts of these workers. A new collective agreement was signed today for public service employees. This is the fifth collective agreement for public servants, but the first over an eight-year period. The aim is to ensure greater stability, while the public administration continues to implement the necessary changes, invest in people and provide quality service. The new agreement covers around 30,000 people and represents an effort of €17 million for 2017, which will increase to €20.5 million by 2024. This includes increasing both wages and certain allowances. The agreement provides for an increase in the salaries of public administration employees from the first year of entry into force. This increase amounts to around €16.5 million in the first year and reaches around €20 million when the agreement expires. The agreement also ensures that workers who continue to work after retirement age do not lose their right to early retirement leave, but can now benefit from it after retirement. Shiftworkers benefit from a change in their shiftwork allowance. Workers with a supplementary qualification necessary for their activity benefit from an increase in the qualification allowance.
This goes hand in hand with the public administration`s vision to further improve the qualifications of its staff. This is also the case for the Institute of Public Services, which is no longer just a training centre for public administration staff, but also a legal entity set up in partnership with the University of Malta and MCAST. The new collective agreement was signed by the General Workers` Union (GWU), the Malta Chamber of Psychologists (MCP), the Maltese Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN), the Maltese Teachers` Union (MUT), the Malta Medical Association (MAM), UĦM – Voice of the Workers and the Union of Architects and Engineers with the Civil Service. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat addressed those present and said the government`s goal was to be an exemplary employer. This country is reaching new employment records and the government wants to guarantee quality jobs and careers that meet the wishes of workers. This is an important collective agreement, because while it improves the wages and conditions of about 30,000 workers, it is a sign of the progress made in our country, said the Prime Minister. . . .